Sabana-Camagüey () is an

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

that lies on

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

's north-central

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

coast. It is located off the northern coast of the

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

, Villa Clara,

Sancti Spíritus Sancti Spíritus () is a municipality and capital city of the province of Sancti Spíritus in central Cuba and one of the oldest Cuban European settlements. Sancti Spíritus is the genitive case of Latin ''Sanctus Spiritus'' ("Holy Spirit"). ...

Ciego de Ávila Ciego de Ávila () is a city in the central part of Cuba and the capital of Ciego de Ávila Province. The capital city has a population of about 156,322 and the province 430,507. Geography Ciego de Ávila lies on the Carretera Central highway a ...

and

Camagüey Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 333,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province. It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by Sp ...

, and is bounded to the north by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, specifically by the Nicholas Channel (Sabana segment) and

Old Bahama Channel The Old Bahama Channel () is a strait of the Caribbean region, between Cuba and the Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Oce ...

(Camagüey segment). The archipelago is positioned on a general north-west to south-east axis, and stretches for from the Hicacos Peninsula and

Varadero Varadero (), also referred to as ''Playa Azul'' (Blue Beach), is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. Varadero Beach is rated one of the world's best beaches in TripAdvisor's Travel ...

to the Bay of

Nuevitas Nuevitas is a municipality and port town in the Camagüey Province of Cuba. The large bay was sighted by Christopher Columbus and crew during their first voyage of exploration in 1492. History Founded in 1775 during the time of the Spanish Empire ...

. The entire system covers more than and is composed of approximately 2,517

cay A cay ( ), also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, including in the Caribbean and on the Grea ...

s and isles. The eastern islands are grouped in the

Jardines del Rey Jardines del Rey () is an archipelago off the northern coast of Cuba, in the northern parts of the provinces of Ciego de Ávila Province, Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey Province, Camagüey. Overview Jardines del Rey developed on the coral reef sy ...

archipelago, and contains

Cayo Coco Cayo Coco is an island on the north coast of central Cuba, known for its all-inclusive resorts. It lies within the Ciego de Ávila Province and is part of a chain of islands called Jardines del Rey ('King's Gardens'). The cay is administered b ...

, Cayo Guillermo and

Cayo Romano Cayo Romano is an island on the northern coast of Cuba, in the province of Camagüey. It is the largest cay of the Jardines del Rey archipelago with . Situation Administratively, the south part is on Esmeralda ( Camagüey Province)

among others.

Conservation

The coastal and

marine ecosystem Marine ecosystems are the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems and exist in Saline water, waters that have a high salt content. These systems contrast with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine waters cover more than 7 ...

represented by the archipelago is undergoing conservation projects supported by the

Global Environment Facility The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (P ...

and

Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; )Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment (). is the Ministry (government department), department ...

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

s and coastal forests effectively create a buffer zone between the agricultural coast and the sensitive marine environment. The Sabana-Camagüey ecosystem encompasses the Bay of Buena Vista

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

, the Caguanes National Park, as well as wetlands of northern

Ciego de Ávila Province Ciego de Ávila () is one of the provinces of Cuba, and was previously part of Camagüey Province. Its capital is Ciego de Ávila, which lies on the Carretera Central (central highway), and the second city is Morón, further north. The provi ...

. A total of 35 protected sites are located here.

List of cays

Sabana section

*Cayo Piedras * Cayo Cruz del Padre * Cayo Blanco _{( fr)} * Cayo Cinco Leguas _{( es)} * Cayo Inglés * Cayo Falcones * Cayo Megano * Cayo Blanquizal _{( es)} * Cayo Sotavento _{( es)} * Cayo Verde * Cayo Hicacal _{( es)} * Cayo La Vela * Cayos de Pajonal * Cayo Fragoso

Camagüey section

*Cayo Francés _{( fr)} * Cayo Santa Maria *Cayo Caiman Grande *

** Cayo Guillermo **

**Cayo Judas **

**Cayo Paredón Grande _{( fr)} **Cayo Megano Grande **Cayo Eusebio **Cayo Cruz **

Cayo Guajaba Cayo Guajaba is a cay on the northern coast of Cuba, in the province of Camagüey. Geography It is part of Jardines del Rey archipelago, and is located west of Cayo Sabinal, east of Cayo Romano, north of The Bay of la Gloria (''Bahia de la Glor ...

** Cayo Sabinal ** Cayo Confites

References

Islands of Cuba Archipelagoes of the Atlantic Ocean Geography of Camagüey Province Geography of Ciego de Ávila Province Geography of Matanzas Province Geography of Sancti Spíritus Province Geography of Villa Clara Province {{Cuba-geo-stub

Conservation

List of cays

Sabana section

Camagüey section

See also

References